Originally published in Carroll Capital, the print publication of the Carroll School of Management at Boston College. .听
Jadon Lee 鈥�26 has witnessed the hardships many immigrants face when it comes to financial literacy. He remembers watching his parents, who migrated to California from South Korea before he was born, trying to use Google Translate to decipher the financial jargon of loan documents. The experience planted in him a desire to help those in his community dealing with similar obstacles.
As a high school student, Lee spent hours each week at the Los Angeles Koreatown Youth & Community Center, helping with homework and leading activities for children from immigrant families. On weekends, he played violin with the LA Youth Philharmonic Orchestra and mentored younger musicians.
Still, when Lee was announced as the winner of the Benigno and Corazon Aquino Scholarship because of his service work, he was stunned. Billy Soo, the vice provost for faculties and professor of accounting, doesn鈥檛 think the decision was so surprising. 鈥淛adon is truly a worthy recipient of this award,鈥� he says. A member of the scholarship selection committee, Soo adds that Lee鈥檚 鈥渨illingness to share his knowledge . . . with younger students in his hometown resonated with the committee.鈥�
The process of applying for that award in 2025 offers a glimpse into how one student grappled with his ethnic identity and helped prepare his mind and heart for life after Boston College. The $25,000 scholarship, named for the couple who fought for democracy as political leaders in the Philippines, is bestowed annually upon a junior with strong academics and active service engagement with the Asian American community. At the time, Lee didn鈥檛 feel very engaged.
He was working multiple jobs鈥攊ncluding as a peer tutor at the University鈥檚 Connors Family Learning Center and as an online English tutor for more than 100 students as far away as Japan鈥攖o pay for college. Lee was also building a near-perfect GPA and rehearsing with the Boston College Symphony Orchestra, so he had scarce time for student cultural groups and struggled to stay connected to his Asian American identity. That struggle almost kept him from applying for the scholarship at all.
Jadon Lee and Vice Provost for Faculties and Professor of Accounting Billy Soo at the Aquino Scholarship Banquet.
Thinking he didn鈥檛 have 鈥渁s much of an Asian American story鈥� as other applicants who took听leadership roles in student groups like the Asian Caucus, Lee decided to try anyway.听
During the interview process, he reflected on his motivation to serve others. Systems weren鈥檛 鈥渂uilt with marginalized people in mind,鈥� he says. Studying accounting and finance, he felt he could make financial literacy more achievable for families like his. 鈥淭he real challenge wasn鈥檛 just academic,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t was about access, understanding how systems work, and feeling a sense of belonging within them.鈥�
Lee points to Roth IRA accounts as an example. While he learned about the tool during freshman year and started contributing to his savings, his parents got that lesson much later in life, giving them a late start on saving for retirement.
He reflected further on his summer job after freshman year, working at the Korean American Coalition in Los Angeles and helping community members understand basic tax forms and immigration paperwork. 鈥淭hose interactions showed me how financial literacy is tied to broader systems and how difficult it can be to access them without guidance or language support,鈥� Lee says.
Back in LA after graduating, Lee is now an investment analyst with PGIM Private Capital. At the company and in the community, he aims to use his skills and education to expand access to financial knowledge related to budgeting, investing, managing debt, saving for college, and other goals. He says, 鈥淚 want to help people in marginalized communities understand their story鈥攖he story of their financial lives.鈥�
